Photographic sound recording and reproducing apparatus



ocffzs, 1932. F H OWENS 1,884,170

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 18, 1930 f5 Sheets-Sheet l F. H. OWENS 1,884,170

G AND REPHODUCING APPARATUS Oct. 25, 1932.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOUND RECORDlN Filed Feb. 18, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR. /effMAN H. ONE/v5.

A ORNE Y.

Oct. 25, 1932. F, H. OWENS 1,884,170

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 18, 1930 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 25, 1932 Ny; n. L owENs, or `'Nrivsr' YORK, N.

CORPORATION, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., A OORPORATIONOF NEW YORK EHQTOGRAPHIC SOUND RECORDING ANDREIERODUCING APPARATUS' Animation med February 1s;, 1,9j3o. 'serial No. 42e,a22.

g @ther objects and advantages of the invention will appearasthe description proceeds. In i the vdrawings :accompanying this 'specih fication, f* Y l`rFigure 1 is a side view -of` an apparatus embodying thel features of the invention; :the lid *lof` the main housing being `shown 'open and broken away and 'a part of the lamp housinga'lso broken away; l Y y 1 1 f "Figu're' 2 isa side elevation'showing vthe side of the machine opposite from Figurejl, the side wallA of the main housingheing removed to'` show *thel 'arrangement ofKV the element's 'within' said` housing; and" V i -'Figure 3 is a sectional plan view of the ap- 1;)a`ratus'.Vvv lReferring to the-'drawin gs,11 designates the main housing of the apparatusysaid housing being provided with a hinged lid 2 and car rying a ilmfniagazine preferably .disposed inthe position' shown in the drawingsfthat isjlto say, the magazine extends across one corner ofv the housing andi carries v the 'usual 51m' supply" and takeup yreelsyo'ne sidev wall of the magazine forming a cover orlid hinged -at"4-`k to'af'fordreadya'ccess to the' interior thereof;i The housing orcasing carries also the usual sprocket 5 and film retaining rollers 6 for feeding afilm 7v from the supplyreel a to thecainera housing land back to the take up reel 7) in the magazine.

A motor 8 is mounted in the housing 1, said motor carrying on its shaft a pulley 9 which transmits motion by means of a belt 10 to a pulley 11 mounted for rotation -on a shaft 12, which shaft in turn is mounted for rotation in the walls of the housing and has securedthereto `a flywheel The pulley 11 has an elongatedhub 14 provided witha clutch dislr- 15having pins f 16 adaptedfto engage 4openings-win the flywheelandthereby causeV rotation of the-shaft 12 with the pulley 11, said pulley andv its clutch-disk being slidable on the shaft into andout of engagement with the'flywheel. Disposed inthe housing 1 isa second shaft 17 mounted for rotation ina pair of brackets 18 Isecured to one of the side walls of vthe housing, saidshaft extending tangentially 'of the shaft '12 and in a vdirection in'- clined to -thefliorizontah `Secured kon the shaft 12 atV thefpoint where it intersects shaft 17l is a worm 19 in mesh with a worin gear 2() on said shaftfl'?, whichrlatte'r shaft hassecured thereon knearitsi opposite end aworm 21 in mesh with a worm gear 22'seeured on the shaft of the sprocket. Motion is thus imparted :from 'the motor 8- to the sprocket 'wliereby the 7latteris rotated to-,draw the lmfro'm thesupply reel and pass iton to the takeup` reel. yThe takeup reel is rotatedv to take upthe film bymean's of a belt 23 passing over pulleys 24and `25,- secured respectively on the: lpintle of the takeup -reel and `the shaft of sprocket;y

, The shaft 17 isprovided with a fly ball govf ernor `26 for regulating the speedof rotation ofsaid shaft, said governor having secured thereto a 'disk 27 adapted to vcontact with a brake1arm28 pivotedon the wall of the housing -1.if The :brake arm` may be adjusted to contactsooner or later with said disk 27 by means of a rod 29 swiveled-at its-inner end in thebrake arm 28 and threaded adjacent toits outer end in thewall of the housing,

saidrod being provided outside of the housingwith a knurled head or knobSO for manually rotating the rod. A coil spring 131' securedat one end to the-wall of the housing andat itsopposite endfto the brake armv 28 serves'to'maintain said arm under tension; i vWithin thefhousingfl is disposed a second housing 32 in the path of the film 't' as it passes lfromy the sprocket 5, the front end of' which housing is curved to permit the film to passin smooth contact therewith,v said end being provided-with an: opening32a to perinitpassage `of light through the film as it passes over the Lil) by the sprocket 5.

end of the housing. A pivoted gate forming member 33 is mounted in position to retain the film in proper contact with the end of the housing. On the shaft l2 is mounted a second sprocket 34 adapted to pull the film through said gate and deliver it to the takeup reel, a suitable clamping roller 35 carried by pivoted arm 36 being adapted to maintain the film in engagement with said sprocket. Mounted in the housing 32 is a photoelectric cell .37 with its window in position to receive light rays after their passage through the film to the interior of the housing 32.

Extended forward from the housing l and in alignment with the interior housing 32 is a housing 38 in which is mounted the usual optical slit system commonly used in the recording and or reproduction of photographic sound records, said housing terminating in a lamp housing 39 in which is mounted a lamp 40 in alignment with the optical system and with the opening in the end of the housing 32. It will be understood, of course, that for reproducing purposes the output of the photoelectric cell will be connected to an amplifier and loud speaker and the lamp 40 with a microphone in the usual manner. These devices are so .Well known in the art that they .are omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness. The optical slit system may consist of Vcondenser lenses 38a, slit 38?), and focusing lens 380 for focusing the illuminated areal image of the slit upon the film 7.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows If it is desired to make a sound record, asupply reel carrying a sensitized film is placed in position in the section A of the magazine, and the film threaded over the sprocket 5, the front wall of the housing 32, behind sprocket 34 and between said sprocket and the roller 35, thence back to sprocket 5 and to a takeup roller mounted in section B of the magazine, as clearly shown in Figure l. Between the roller .35 and the sprocket 5, a sufficient length of film is left to maintain a loop at this point thereby to avoid strain on the film when being returned to the magazine Vith the film so threaded, the speaker or singer takes his or her posivtion at the microphone and the motor is started. The sounds to be recorded are picked up by the microphone and translated into electrical impulses which may operate to vary the intensity of the lamp 4:0, the varying illuminated image of the slit 38?) being focused by the optical system on the film as it passes over the end of the housing 32 thereby producing the desired record. It will be understood of course that other types of sound recording means may be used. At the same time, if the slit in the end of housing 32 is left open during the recording, the light rays modulated by the variations of the intensity of the lamp will pass through said slit and be caught by the photoelectric cell, which will deliver said modulated rays in the form of electrical impulses to the amplifier and speaker. It will thus be seen that by listening in at the speaker While the record is being recorded a check can be made of the quality of the record.

Then the apparatus is to be used for reproducing, the only changes necessary are as follows: Instead of a sensitized film, a film bearing a sound record is threaded through the apparatus as above described, and the microphone is cut out. The lamp 40 thus maintains a constant intensity and the light rays are caught by the photoelectric cell after they have been modulated by passing through the sound record carried by the film, such vmodulated light rays being translated by the photoelectric cell into electrical impulses, which are then amplified and made audible in the usual manner.

' I claim 1. A sound recording and reproducing apparatus, comprising in combination, a housing, a film magazine forming an integral part of said housing and having a supply reel and a takeup reel mounted for rotation, a hollow member disposed within said housing and having a curved and slit end wall, means for conducting a film from said supply reel, over said curved end Wall and to the takeup rcel, movable means for maintaining the film in contact with said wall, means for projecting light rays on said film as it passes over said Wall, a photoelectric cell disposed in said hollow member in position to receive the projected light rays after their passage through the film, and means for varying the intensity of the light rays before their passage through the film.

2. A sound recording and reproducing apparatus, comprising in combination, a main housing, a lm magazine forming an integral part of said housing and having a supply reel and a takeup reel mounted for rotation, an inner housing disposed within said main housing and having a curved slit end, a photoelectric cell mounted in said inner housing with its Window adjacent to said slit end, means for conducting a film from said supply reel to sai d takeup reel and including means for causing the film to pass in contact with the slit end of the inner housing, a lens housing in alignment with said inner housing, and a light source in communication with said lens housing and in alignment with said inner housing.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

FREEMAN H. OWENS. 

